New Blog

Hi Everyone.

As you might know the Blog I've been using since 2005 has become corrupted by spams. The way round this - so that I don't lose my text - is that I have created this new blog and have copied and pasted all my old stuff into this one. So, you can totally ignore everything below because you may have read it already. There is another blog that Rob and I have but that is mainly about Rob's recent trip to England and some of you are already readers of that one.

I am sorry that all the photos have been lost from the 'recovered' 2006/2005 blog - but I shall work hard to get more for this one. Try this address, I have posted some photos there.

Anyway, it is just one week till I set off again. On Wednesday 12th September I leave New Zealand for five weeks to England, Scotland and Greece. The main purpose of my trip is to dispose of our possessions which are in storage in Hornsea. So, after that is done then I have time to play - and to blog. I hope you will keep me company again; it comforts me to know I am not out in the big wide world all alone, but am watched over by my blog friends wherever I go. So, until September, bye for now. Love to all. Ann

Ann's Birthday blog 2006

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Birthday Treat

Hello everyone,
A birthday blog - since I went on a trip! Rob has planned a birthday trip for me for the last few years (Paris, Cambridge, Melbourne) and this year we flew to Christchurch. He keeps this a secret from me till the morning we are departing, so I have lots of fun trying to wheedle it out of him - and my friends, who he co-opts to care for Daisy and Sissy. Christchurch is, as everyone has told me, a bit English - lots of red brick, gothic centre of town buildings, oak, ash, beach trees and lots and lots of roses. It is a very substantial town of 400,000 people and covers an area larger than Auckland. It sits on a plain with mountains behind and large hills to the south. It has a river running through it and a huge park (Hagley Park) just off the town centre. We arrived at lunch time and after settling in our hotel (The George - you can find it in Small Luxury Hotels, or at www.slh.com; our suite was very comfortable - ask Rob about the spa bath, if you want to embarass me!!!) and then visited the Arts Centre where we had lunch (the Arts Centre has taken over the university bulidings since the Uni has moved out of town) and looked at the craft shops, then we looked at the Cathedral, the Art Gallery (very modern - glass and steel - but I liked it) and then the botanical gardens, before arriving at our hotel for a rest and then dinner. The hotel had very poor choices for a vegetarian so when we had booked for the evening I had asked them to make me a vege meal - and it was suberp.

The following morning we set of for Akaroa in the chaffeur driven mercedes that Rob had hired. Akaroa is 1.30hrs away and over some high hills and low dales. We saw lots of cows and lots and lots of sheep; we visited a cheese factory and bought some to take home; spent some time in Akaroa and bought a beautiful kouri bowl with inlaid ebony and pau shell - as well as pressies for friends. Akaroa is a French settled town although it has lost most of its French influence and you can see it in the names of the streets, some shops and the cemetary. There were three impressive little churches, a pretty harbour and again the ubiquitous idylic hills and outlook from the town. Our driver, Lyndal, was knowledgeable about the area and kept us informed of all sorts of information about the area. We went off for lunch to the French Bay Vineyard - good wine and food, wonderful views, lovely weather - the superlatives just go on and on!!! On the way back we went over the hill to Oakin Bay where there was a very quaint Maori Museum - which had not seen a duster since it began I think. However, there were lots of very interesting Maori artifacts in the main museum as well as some colonial buildings with contents - I am so glad that I live now and not then - a couple of cottage, a smithy and a chandlers as well as a couple of Maori traditioanl buildings.

Back to Christchurch for a frustrating wait at the airport, but we arrived back in time to drinks - and cheeses - with Sue, Alex, Julia, Coralie and Philip as I opened my birthday presents. We were all in an unusually good mood - perhaps the bubbles helped - and there was lots of laughter and good humour, and it was good to be with friends on my birthday, although I thought of others that were not there too. A VERY GOOD BIRTHDAY, and thank you to everyone for my cards, good wishes and presents

Ann's (& Rob's) USA holiday 2006

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Home sweet home

Hi everyone from sunny Devonport. Yes, it is nice to be home and in my own bed again I have to say. However, first things first - our last day. Spent most of the morning packing before taking a cab across to Greens, the vegetarian restaurant I had wanted to go to. Extremely good lunch place with views of the bay - got their menu again and will salivate over it occassionally to remind me of their food. Just as good as, but different from, Milleniums; more a lunch/brunch place but very populare and crowded even by the time we got there. Walked over to Ghiradelli Square and was no more impressed by it this time than I was last time we were here so moved on to a Tomato and Olive festival which was being held at the Cannery. Lovely heirloom tomatoes that I was unfamiliar with and lots of blended olive oil - not as good as NZ though, apart from one who used Koroniki olives and that was delicious and dark green. The owner has competed in NZ and has done well with his oil so it was good to talk to him about what he is doing. Then it was back to the hotel for a freshen up before Val collected us for the trip to the airport. Good flight back and arrived 15 minutes early so missed the crush and queues from the other 3 flights that were due at our official arrival time. We were out of the airport in 15 minutes and home by 6 am - and collecting Daisy by 7.45 - and very excited she was too!!! She had been extremely well tended and looked after by Coralie and Philip and looked in perfect health, relaxed and playful. Sissy and she kept close for the next day or so - perhaps thinking we might disappear again? The house and garden were lovely and had been really well looked after by Sue and Alex and Julia and Chris. So a huge, huge thank you to all of you for taking such good care of everything.
OK, so that is the trip and now we are home - and planning the next one!!! Will keep you informed about the next steps, meanwhile thanks to everyone, helpers, readers, commenters - I love you all. Ann

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Sausalito by the sea

Modern art, I'm afraid to say, does not capture me in the same way anything up to the early 21st century does. However, we visited the Museum of Modern Art yesterday and saw some fine and some confusing, inexpicable and generally baffling pieces of modern art. There were some fine Deigo Riveras as well as Klee, Mondrian, Picasso, and one very stunning Rothko as well as Jackson Pollock, Matisse and many more whose names I don't know and whose names I have forgotten. There was some beautiful photography and installation art as well as abstract impressionist - ah well, I guess I just don't have a very discering palate when it comes to all art. The museum itself is very well laid out and signposted with good commentary - and a very well stocked shop!!!!
We walked to the Ferry Building and were not sidetracked by all the little speciality shops but managed to get onto the ferry to Saulsalito with 1 minute to spare. The ferry ride takes 30 minutes and, again, it was lovely to be on the water, relax and watch the world go by. Had lunch in a waterside restaurant overlooking the bay and it was very beautiful seeing the terns diving for fish with the water sprking in the sunshine and SF and the Bay bridge in the background. Rob has seen some rain while we have been away but not me - it has been uninterupted sunshine, fine days and cooler nights; fine for sleeping, and in SF and Boston fine for walking. Saulsalito is a bit like Devonport but not so pretty. The centre is full of tourist type shops of varying degrees of quality - some interesting, most not. After lunch we walked around, but I suspect that the 'real' Saulsalito lies elsewhere, for what was avaialbel on the front could not have sustained a community - only tourists. However, it had plenty of trees, seats and places to relax, so we were happy. Walking anywhere but the front would have involved major exertion since only very steep steps or roads seem to lead out of the town. The ferry ride back was dominated by the 92 cycle riders who also got on the ferry - I don't think I have ever seen so many leisure cyclists in one place! I guess they must be fit, although some did look a bit fraught. A relaxing evening took us back to Davids Diner for coffee and cake and to plan what to do toady with the short time we have left.
We are in the process of packing just now - I have finished before Rob - and then it is off to Greens for lunch, Ghiradelli Square, and a tomato and olive festival at the Cannery. I think we will be back by 4 which will give us a couple of hours to get ourselves finally ready before Val comes to collect us for the airport - and then!!!!! See you all in NZ soon. To everyone, I hope you have enjoyed this blog, and thanks for your comments - it was good to pick them up while we have been away. Love to all, signing off for the last time before NZ. Ann

Friday, September 15, 2006

A Taste Sensation Day

Yum, yum, yum - it was one of those days when the sense being indulged was the sense of taste - and boy did it get sated. We had decided not to take up Val's kind offer of a car (I even went driving - and did not do any damage!) and that if I drove to the wine country then I was not going to be able to see or taste anything, so we hired a limousine with a driver to take us up - and a very very good idea it was too. We set off at 10.30 and arrived back at 5 and in between visited 5 vineyards and tasted lotttts of different wines. We started by driving over the Golden Gate Bridge and stopping off at the Vinisa winemakers before going up to Sonoma town. Vinisa had a lovely selection of mid priced wines and we tasted 5 wines, of which two were white, one rose, one red and one sweet - and all delicious. Then it was off to Sonoma which is a small town with a lot of Spanish influences and was the place where California declared independence from the rest of the Mexico. We had a walk around and tried some cheeses at the cheese factory. Then Richard, our driver, asked if we wanted to go to the Napa Valley via the freeway or over the mountains - guess which we choose? The mountains, of course. It was just stunning, very winding, steep, wooded, with houses hidden amongst the trees and variously reminded us of Greece and NZ. We had lunch at another Vineyard - V.Sarouti - (very pretty with Italian looking buildings and lots of flowers) - tasting then eating - before going on to Opus One, a very very up market vineyard which makes only one wine (a Cab Sauv) which sells for $135.00 per bottle. We tasted and did not buy. The setting and building is very austere with strong stone buildings, classical music and a retreat for guests - all very soothing. However, we wanted to try some champagne and so went off to Chandon and tried 3 wines there - and, of course, preferred the most expensive of their reserves. There grounds were pretty with a stream and fountains and wild flowers. The last place (Stag's Leap) we tried was on the Silverado Trail and there we tried 4 wines, one white and 3 reds. They were very serious about their wine and one of the reds ($125.00 a bottle) was, we thought, much better than the Opus One wine. Then back, via the Bay bridge. So that took most of the day, but in the evening we had booked to eat at the Millenium, a vegan restaurant which had been voted the best vegetarian restaurant in the city. It was stunning food. Gourmet by any standards - I have brought the menu and their cookery book - so we can slather over it at home - and maybe even try some of their complex but very scrummy food. It put me in mind of the food I had had recently at the new Peter Gordon restaurant (Dine?), they had similar food values - good reduced stocks & jus; presented well with a variety of flavours, colours and textures. I think any of you reading this would have been more than happy to eat it - and would not have known it was vegan!!! Tomorrow we are having lunch at Greens - a vegetarian restaurant I have always wanted to go to, so I shall have a good comparison.
OK, so now it is Friday and we are counting down the days - but first we are off to the Museum of Modern art (Rothko's and Diego Rivera's) and then a ferry over to Sausilito (?), so got to go, things to do, places to see, memories to make. Take care of yourselves and see all in NZ soon. Love Ann

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Museums, museums

So, today had a nice, gentle, slow start with reading, breakfast and emails before we even thought of what next! Then it was full steam ahead for the museums - Asian Art and the DeYoung. We walked down to the Museum of Asian Art, and though we had been aware of an increased number of beggars on our street, as opposed to Boston or Pasadena, when we got into the Market St area we could see many more homeless and disturbed people than we had any where we had visited so far. Val tells me that - as in England - the gap between the haves and have nots' is increasing, which along with what I guess is a move to 'community care' for those in mental distress, means there are more streeet people. However, on the way to the Museum of Asian Arts we came across the very best farmers market - the most lucious fresh fruit of all sorts of varieties and vegetables, well, what can I say - there were types of aubergines I had never seen before as well as lots of asian vegetables, some of which I recognised from Takapuna market, but others which I could not even begin to name. So, we got the museum slightly laden with fresh produce - which we have to eat by Saturday!!!
The museum was a model of excellence in the way it was set out for the visitor. Escalators, clear signage, excellent curatoring so that it was a pleasure to go round and be involved with the exhibits - although Rob and I disageed on the level of labelling. At any rate, we thoguht this was a really well presented museum - even though it did not have on display the items I had wanted to see - and made you want to stay and learn more about the exhibits. Nevertheless, time was of the essence, so after eating in the Asian restaurant of the muesum it was off to the DeYoung. Now that is a very different place entirely. Both museums have recentlu undergone a refurbishment. While the Asian Museum was Beaux Arts in exterior it had been modernised inside to bring it up to date and very sympathetically and, I thought, extrememly well. The De Young was a modern design which had recently been further modernised, and I felt was not as considerate as it could be of its visitors. So for instance, the lifts were not well signposted, there were no esacalators and I saw older women struggling up and down concrete stairs to get to the exhibitions they wanted to see. The static exhibitions were simply presented with only a room description - no notion of how the exhibit fitted in to the overall theme of the room. But when it came to what they had to show - it was excellent. The quilt exhibition was very fine and was about a small community in Alabama who, as slaves and tenants were so poor that they had made their quilts from any scrap of material or old clothes they had. They did not follow the conventional block quiltling designs but rather their designs were freeer in both compostion and fabric use. They eventually became known and were commissioned to produce items for - was it Sears or Sax - anyway one of the big reatil outlets - but they never stopped making quilts, and very creative, artistic and beautiful they were. We also saw more American 20th C art and caught up with some of the new names (to us) we had seen in Pasadena and in Boston. We saw a most extraordinary Whistler, which I asked if we could photo - for Rob - since it is germaine to his research and more folk art which was a treat!
Tomorrow we are off to the wine country - more later & love for now, Ann

Happy Birthday Val

We were up nice and early this morning since we were meeting Val and Darell at the wharf where they were arriving by ferry to spend the day with us (we are very pleased about this, since it is Val's birthday and special to be able to spend it with her, and Darell). At least that was our intention - and we did get out early enough we thought (9am to meet at 10) - however the vagaries of the SF Trolley bus system meant we were still on the trolley at 10, and as you know, I am not good with lateness, so what should have been a leisurely and attractive journey to the wharf was, on my part at least, one of unresolved frustration, unbridled scorn for such an inefficient mode of transport - all of which Rob found highly amusing - which also did not help. Drat!!! However, Val and Darell had had similar frustrations - missed the ferry, driven to Oakland to leave Darells car, came in by road through extremely slow traffic - and fortunately we arrived almost simultaneously - so enough of the frustrations, now onto the good bits!!
Because Val & Darell had the car - for which we are so grateful, because we would certainly not have got to do the things we did today otherwise - they took us up to Coit (?) Tower, one of the highest points to look over the city and the Bay. I won't give the history - oh well, just a bit. It was built by the wife of a philanthropist/businessman of the city who was also a volunteer fireman (every small boy's dream) and when he died she built the tower, which resembles the end of the nozzle of a firemand hose, to honour SF firemen (and her husband). Anyway, inside, it has these wonderful murals, all done by local artists in the late 20's, 30's depicting various aspects of the working life of those in the Bay area - they are sort of 'folk artish', very strong, and quite wonderful. I took a few photos so you will get to see some - if you haven't already on your journeys. The views from the top of the tower (got to by an elevator run by a man who gives a brief potted history on the way up) are stunning, and you can see SF's equivalent of NY's Ellis Island, called Angel Island, Alkatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge etc, etc. But you are behind glass - I guess so you don't jump out - and yes, I did get to the top and did look out, aren't I brave!!
From there Val drove us down Lombard Street - you know that very winding street you see in posters and adverts for SF? OH, but before I forget, on the way down the hill guess what we saw - you can't possibly!!! We saw the parrots, you know Elisabeth - the Parrots of Telegraph Hill - there must have been 20 of them moving around, it was so exciting!!!! OK, back to Lombard Street - it is as tight as itlooks, but very pretty, and you have to go soooo slow.
Then we went back to the wharf for a very pleasant lunch before going to the ferry. At the dock where the ferries are there is one area where sea lions, quite by themselves, voluntarily and persistently have taken up residence. There are a whole series of floating pontoons (I don't know the 'technical' word) and on them are at least 150 sea lions, honking, yelping, being very smelly, but very captivating.
We all got the ferry - Darell was going over to Oakland to go to work - and just lovely it was too. We saw pelikans by the dozen, terns, a seal, a cormorant and just beautiful views of the city. Val, Rob and I did the round trip - which took about 2 hours and was a very relaxing way of travelling and looking. The day was hot and so, on the water, was cooling - lovely. When we got back to SF Val drove us to the City Lights Bookshop which we had wanted to visit and where lots of the good/bad and (in)famous had hung out at in the 50's 60's and 70' - it is still a good bookshop - but also a sort of tourist shrine also.
Then it was a walk back through Chinatown - tea and moon cakes, a seat in St Mary's Square, and back for a well deserved rest. Later we checked out the Cafe Grand - which is quite grand - and decided that it would be our drinking place (the hotel bar is too noisy). Since we had a large lunch we opted for David's Diner and we met another Kiwi, this one from Timaru, David Kellman. He is a young man - late 20's - who is in town from University in Austin, Texas, to give a paper (Chemistry is his subject) at a conference. Very personable, but since it is his first paper, very nervous and, with the friend - who is also giving a paper - wondering whether they should have a drink first. 'Oh, no' said we, 'just the last thing to do'!!! Anyway, I am sure someone (probably Mary or Joseph?) out there will know his family, or a friend of his family or the dog of his family - his parents now live in Christchurch - so pass on the word that their son is well, and eating well in SF. Which reminds me - cheese blinis, potato cakes with applesauce - a lovely way to end the day!
Well, I think that is all for today, lets see what tomorrow brings, shall we? Love to all. Ann

Monday, September 11, 2006

Museum Monday Menace strikes again

Ok, you would think I would know by now - do not go to a Museum anywhere in the world on a Monday (and sometimes a Tuesday) because the are closed!!!! Since Rob was going off to Berkely to talk history with James Vernon I decided I would visit the MG DeYoung Museum in the Golden Gate Park, where there is an exhibition of quilts - one for you Coralie. Wrong choice, closed on Mondays. Ok, so I visited the Japanese Garden instead and had green tea and fortune cookies while watching jays. It is as beautiful a garden as I remembered - but in some ways I liked the Huntingdon one better. The Zen garden had more green in it and was entirely different from the other one I had seen. The other museum in the park is closed till 2008 so I decided to visit the Conservatory where they grown the plants for the gardens. Nope, closed on Mondays! OK then, thought I there are a couple of churches relatively nearby (bus rides) so I can visit them; and this time I will check in the book to see the opening time. Ha, clever me!!! One of them - the Russian Orthodox, only opens at service time and I was not going to wait around till 3, so I would have to visit the Jewish synagogue. After a longish walk and a bus ride where the driver gave me a free fare and told me about other interesting churches - gues what, yes, you are right, it was not open. However, a personable young man who seemed to be patrolling outside, with a walkie talkie (security concious?) gave me the business card of the church and said if I phoned then they would arrange a time for me to visit. Unfortunately life is just too short for that sort of thing, although I did thank him nicely before going to catch my next bus. The bus was interesting and I got a ticket which meant I could go anywhere I wanted till 5pm; as is usual in buses the near-the-front seats are for elderly and infirm and so I gave my seat up a couple of times and did the decent thing helping older people off the bus - which got me a number of comments and thank you's from others on the bus and help from a number of people who wanted to tell me where the best place to get off/visit was - so what goes round came round immediately today! The bus took me back into town, and into the middle of Chinatown, so I had a little walk around - but I think I was too near the begining of it where it is most touristy and shall have to walk the whole way through another day. I did do a little shopping and got a gift from the store - horrible and binnable - but a nice gesture. After a very nice Japanese lunch I walked round Union Square - but it is just expensive shops and department stores. Rob had arrived back and so we went for coffee and cake at 'David's Diner' just down the road. It has the very best cakes; I had apple strudel with sour cream (did I mention it was a Jewish diner?) and Rob a strawberry tortlette; we shared - yum. The man who served us was charming and called Christian and he and his wife own the cafe (the one with the really good french fries) on Onetangi beach on Waiheke. He is travelling till summer then he will return to open the cafe - small world, no?
So now I am doing my blog before I go to eat at the Millenium Restaurant just up the road - it is a vegan restaurant and won the best vege. restaurant award last year, and the menu looks yummy. I was going to go to the theatre tonight but the Tom Stoppard play I wanted to see does not start till Thursday - so I shall jsut have to wait till then.
Ok my dears, lovely to hear from everyone, talk again soon. Love, Ann xxxxxx

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Happy Birthday to Rob

Thank you everyone who has sent Rob cards, both paper and electronic. He was very pleased to receive all of them this morning and to know so many of you are thinking of him. He has gone of to the Museum of Fine Arts for a last dash round - he wants to cover some of the things I saw the other day when I went while he was in NY. It is our last full day in Boston and so this afternoon we are going to the Italian district for a very genuine Italian lunch before going to the Arts Festival held by the Harbour. Then it will be packing before an early night - we will be up at 5 am tomorrow for our flight to San Francisco.
Yesterday was very pleasant for walking, so after shoring up this knee of mine, we walked around Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. Faneuil Hall was the hall where all of the major revolution, slavery and emancipation debates took place in Boston and Quincy Market was the fresh produce market. Now both have been turned into tourist traps with lots of tacky and expensive shops and fast food outlets, so we quickly moved on from there and took a tour round a privat home in Beacon Hill which had belonged to a woman at the turn of the century and remains in much the same condition. She was an interesting woman who had been a bit of a socialist (and in the US that was/is very unusual), was a 'sufragette', a landscape gardener and held 'salons' every Sunday where, if you did not contribute to the discussion, you were not invitied to return! We visited the deli on Charles Street and bought some lunch to eat on the Common where we watched Daisy's favourites - squirrels. After a well earned rest we perambulated and promanaded with the rest of Boston in the balmy evening. A jazz quartet was playing in the bar of our hotel so we sat at the bar (something I have never done in an American bar) and watched people, the band and just relaxed. It was fun to watch the bartenders mix the cocktails, and it does not seem too surprising that peole get very drunk (although we have not seen any of that) when you see how much alcohol goes into these drinks!! But it was enjoyable to watch the skill of the bartenders in mixing these drinks. Rob had tried a martini a couple of nights before but we had agreed that we did not care for them and instead we have, perhaps boringly, stuck to our usual white wine - apart from the champagne cocktail I had which was delicious!
OK, my dears, will get back to you soon. I am off to enjoy Rob's birthday. Love & hug, Ann

Friday, September 08, 2006

All through the night......

Even Boston gets quiet during the night. I know since I have been awake since 3 and am now in the FedEx shop next to the hotel at 5am typing awal merrily all by myself. So, what was yesterday like. Well, in the morning I had some retail therapy - I was overdue for some, all this museums and tourism certainly makes it difficult to keep up the natting average! There is a 'mall' just across from the hotel which seems to go on for ever with expensive and not so expensive shops. I have, at last, visited Saks and Marcus Neiman as well as window shopped till I am fully sated and will last at least till the end of the holiday. To be honest, shopping is not really my thing, but it is interesting to see how it is done in various places.
After such an exhausting morning I stopped at a free classical concert in the square (3 classical guitarists) before setting off again for the Museum of Fine Arts. I had wanted to do the Chinese porcelain, Japanese textiles/prints and American Folk Art - and all were splendid. I was saying to Julia that I think I have finally decided that I prefer pre-Ming Dynasty porcelain and potter - anything earlier than 13c. I saw som very fine Japanese Kubuko prints - 18th & 19th century, but no Indian prints which was disappointing - however I did buy a calendar which has some lovely Rhajistan prints - so I can always cut them out and frame them. I ahve always had a soft spot for any sort of niave (?) folk art - American or British - and I saw about 12 very sweet examples of paintings, but what was more interesting was the painted furniture and the artifacts, like weathervanes which were very stylish. If tis all makes it sound like I know a lot - then forget it, I am totally ignaorant about all of the above, but I have had a good time looking and appreciating.
Rob returned from New York in one piece, tired and snuffly from his cold. His visit was very fruitful and he thinks he may have a full article to write on John DeMorgan, rather than simply using him as a character in his book. I was saying to Elisabeth that I think he would have liked more time there but he can alaways correspond with the contacts he has made there to help him with the archive materials. From his account New York will not be a place I shall visit. He found the people abrupt and sometimes rude, and said it felt like London where people were about their own business with no time for others. I think the most difficult event was when no taxi driver would take him from the Staten Island Ferry to Penn Station where he had to catch his train - so he braved and mamaged the NY subway - well done Rob!!! Any way he returned roughly on time, and says if he has to visit NY again, will stay in Boston and get the train up!!! OK my dears, all for now. Thinking of all of you. Bye for now & Love,Ann
PS 0- I forgot to bring my glasses - so can't see a thing - so do forgive whatever bad typing; I only hope enough is decipherable!

Thursday, September 07, 2006

I wandered lonley as a cloud

I saw Rob off to New York this morning - with a rotten cold, but he was determined to go come hell or high water and no mere cold was going to stop him. Me, I set of for North End, the Italian district, and very Italian it is too. Old men with their chairs out, blocking the road and taking the sun, old women in black - but with lots of jewlery - shopping for lunch, all speaking Italian; lovely Italian grocery shops which have a peculiar mixture of US and Italian goods but which smell devine. Italian bread, gelatto, vegetable shops, as well as the occassional deli and masses of small restaurants. I had the most delicious eggplant parmingana with ziti (a bit like penne) for lunch. I did also visit the house of Paul Revere and Old North Church - where people did not sit in rows but in sort of boxes made for 8/10 with no roof but quite high sides - very strange. I imagine the boxes were 'family' boxes and they were to stop one - males presumably - getting a glimpse of a fine turned ankle belonging to a female of another family and thus turning thoughts away from the purpose that one went to church for.
I then had a walk down Church St. which is full of antique shops - it runs along the bottom of one end of Beacon Hill (one of the expensive parts of Boston)and is a lively sort of street with plenty to look at and see. On my way back to the hotel I passed 'Cheers' - by accident, and then went onto the Common again.
In the evening, after a little rest and a chat with Rob I went for a stroll. Rob had successfully reached NY and used the Staten Island Ferry to reach his destination, passing the Statue of Liberty on his way, and he tells me that the 4th finger on the SofL is 8ft long (hope that does not fall off and hit anyone!). He has walked the length and breadth of the island - through some very rough parts too (he reckons the Teamsters and Tony Soprano have regular meetings at his hotel), and is looking forward to the museum and library tomorrow.
The weather has been very comfortable for walking around - in the 70's - and the evenings are especially pleasant. So, love to all, and will sign in again soon. Ann

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Boston - a little like London

Hello my dears everywhere - welcome back to my blog. My arrival in Boston airport was late, and the airport itself does not recommend itself - scruffy, inefficient, dirty, run down. However the city is a gem and I love it. On our first day we oriented, so we walked through the town, over the common, taking in all the historical sights - state house, new and old, various graveyards, government house, the oldest library in US etc etc. The history is very accessible - a bit like London, it stares you in the face and you can't ignore it. I enjoyed the Common, with its lakes (one boating and one for frogs), winding paths, swan pedal boats on the lake and an exhibition, which we were to learn was citywide - of cows, painted every which way, some very funny, beautiful, striking (I've taken photos of some for you Coralie)! We decided to go on a harbour cruise and so saw the city skyline, East Boston - where there is a 'rich ethnic mix' the boat man said; I guess this is where poorer or working class live; Old Ironsides - a ship which trounced the English and other newer developements along the way. Like London many of the old wharves are being turned into or have already been changed to appartments for the richer of the population. We then took a tram ride around the town and this went to most central areas and gave us a good notion of what was where and where we might want to return to and explore. We saw a most extraordinary thing on our trip. There seemed to be a hawk floundering in a fence 'window box' in front of one of the old brownstones. It flopped around for a bit then fell to the pavement, it looked stunned but fine; then it became clear that there was another hawk in the foliage; and finally there was a dead pigeon on the window sill of the house. So I guess they had killed the pigeon on the roof, followed it down and got tangled up in the foliage. But the birds were stunning (that one is for you Val). They have bronze sculptures dotted around town - got one of a donkey for you Jan; and I have snapped 2 of Bostons mounted police for you Sue. By that time it was time for a drink and dinner and planning for the next day. Dinner was the best yet - we went to - I want to say Ben and Jerrys, but not sure about that - and had the most delicous ice-cream and sorbets - Yummmmm
In the morning we walked in and around Trinity Church, which is the oldest church in Boston and is opposite our hotel in Copley Square. It had some Burne-Jones windows made by Morris and Co we wanted to see - beautiful and others by a London firm and by an American artist which were equally beautiful. Then it was off to see the excentric house/museum of Isabel Gardner - I hated this museum of all I have ever seen. She had left strick instructions in her will that nothing should be changed - so the paying viewer has to look at wonderful paintings (I think) with no note of who painted them, and the very worst lighting you have ever seen. The attendants were rude and unhelpful and if it had not been for the central courtyard which was gloriously reminiscent of an Italian one in its design and planting then nothing would have persuaded me to recommend this to anyone.
Thank goodness for the Museum of Fine Arts where we spent the afternoon. It is fabulous, with much too much to see in one or even two visits; so we restricted ourselves to the exhibition 'Americans in Paris' which was so beautiful. Lots of Singer Sargents (one of Rob's fav artists), Winslows, Beauxs, Cassats, Hammans, Alexanders and some of my favourite Whistlers too. There were many more than that - but I don't know much about US 19thc artists.
In the evening we did a 2 hour tour of the Boston Library - again just across from our hotel - and were particularly interested in the murals completed (well almost) by Singer Sargent - most weird and wonderful, and in their day scandalous!
Today Rob is off to New York and I am going walking and shopping - maybe, I shall see. Anyway, bye for now. Take care of each other. Will blog soon. Love Ann

Rob's train trip

September 2nd
Get on train. 'Room' smaller but seems OK. Bed will be put down by Kotara who seems to be in charge of coach 4810. Generally the whole outfit seems in need of a bit of a makeover but then if Bush is threatening to remove subsidies why would anyone invest. However, its obvious that Ann was right to persuade me to go the whole hog and get an ensuite room. We're called to dinner well before the train sets off. Go to the diner and a very efficient bossy boots tells me I can't sit where I want to, and read my book (On Beauty by Zadie Smith) and sits me across from two women who had also been told to sit next to each other. We're all a bit surprised at this approach to First Class travel but actually get on fine. We're joined by the oldest woman from the Golden Girls. One of the women is from Canada, wanting to do one of the World's Top 10 train journeys; one is a New Yorker who has lived in Chicago for 6 years but wants to return to NY but doesn't want to leave too quickly and is therefore extracting herself by train. The food is slightly upmarket fast food though served with wine. The diner fills up with people forced to talk to people they don't want to, but this system seems to work well. So efficiency leads to effectiveness.

When I returned the bed has been put down which leaves little soace to do anything other than go to bed, which is quite large. They do claim you can sleep 3; two in the bed I have and one in another bunk that comes down from the ceiling - no thank you!

I discover I don't really want to go to sleep. All this US going by and its dark and I'm supposed to be asleep. I keep looking out of the window to see things flashing by. We stop and there, out of the window, is Cleveland. The drivers of the train are required to blast their horn every time they get near a crossing. The door creaks; the doors under the sink clatter; the ladder for the bunk bangs; the curtains clunk. The carriage moves side to side, the wheels loudly round and round. I go to sleep and wake up, jam some paper in the door; sleep; stick my toilet bag between the bed and the sink doors; sleep; shove a toilet roll against the ladder; sleep; I'm loving this; real train travel. I'm determined to be awkae when dawn arises, so the best way is to stay awake. When dawn does arrive, an hour earlier than expected (another timeline crossed), it is grey and wet ourside - the carriage is unjustly called 'Sunrise View'. It's still fantastically exciting to be hurtling past Lake Erie, on a train; on the way from Chicago to Boston, in my own sleeper. The train spotter returns.
Breakfast and lunch are forced sociability again but I've got the hang of it and quite happily talk to people I haven't been properly introduced to, and won't see again. Quite a few people are college kids returning for the new semester; tourists wanting to do a train rather than a boat or a plane (me), fat people (very fat people) who can't travel on a plane; aerophobes or those who can't afford a plane and sit in coach class for 24hours. There are, in fact, two trains; the front half with people in rooms and roomettes (which don't have toilets); and the others in normal carriages. After breakfast I sit in my room watching the world go by - hills, forests, lakes, clapboard houses, industrial degradation, big cities, big towns, small towns and hamlets.
The scenery gets prettier the nearer it gets to Boston and New England. At Albany the train sets off to New York (which, much to my surprise, is south of Boston)and I change to a normal train. A sense of well being pervades and I combine watching the world go by with fiddling with my Blackberry, writing my journal and reading about the demise of the ageing professorial Howard in On Beauty (who, though English, is working in a Boston College). Passenger trains in the US must always give way to freight trains so we're getting later and later and arrive in Boston one hour or so late. Have seen lots of trees, a heron and a llama but had a great time.
Go to the hotel, check in, eat room service, watch TV and go to sleep. Am awakened by the cleaner at 9.30 the next morning.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Playing truant!!!

Hello everyone,
Just to say i will return to blogging tomorrow. I've been visiting with my freind for the last few days but am now in Boston and intend to catch up with my blog tomorrow when Rob leaves for new York. In fact as a special treat I shall put up Rob's account of his train trip from Chicago to Boston. So, until then know that I am thinking of you and stay happy!!!! Love & hugs, Ann

Thursday, August 31, 2006

My friend Val

Hello everyone from Newark - just near San Francisco. I arrived here as expected yesterday and Antonio (Val's handsome son) and Val were there to meet me at the airport and then we drove (in Val's new hybrid car - very flash and very environmentally sensible) to Val's home - where there are 2 dogs and two cats, all very friendly - so I am in my element! I don't have much to report to you apart from we have not stopped talking since I arrived!!! It is so splendid to see Val again - and she has not changed a bit, still as beautiful, strong, and fearless as she was last time I saw her. Last ight Val and I went for an Indian meal (she knows me so well) and then sat and watched as the dogs sensed the possums - we even saw one creeping along the fence, a better sighting than I have had in NZ. This area is teeming with bird life and we have seen heron, lots of waders, red winged blackbirds and Val has hummingbirds in the garden - what a treat!! Dobbie, Antonio's dog kept me company during the night - a change from Sissy, but not much! This morning I met Darell, her partner and husband, who is charming, a good host, and extremely knowledgeable about American history and politics. We have walked the dogs, put the world to rights and generally had a very pleasant time. Val is full of plans about what we might do and what Rob and I might do when we return to San Francisco - but I shall keep that for later - got to go now, a dog urgently needs me to scratch its ears (don't tell Daisy - its a bit like being unfaithful!!!).
Bye for now, love to all
Ann

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

On the road again....

Ok - so it is official, my typing AND spelling leaves a lot to be desired! I have just looked bvack at yesterday's blog and am appaled by all the mistakes. The only thing I can say is that by the time I had recreated the lost blog I had lost all will to live or correct mistakes - so, apologies.

Yesterday was Gamble House day and it was quite splendid. Unlike Red House, Gamble House is quite open to passersby and so is quite visable from the road instead of being behind walls or hedges. So our first sight of it was in all its glory. It is a very substantial Californian Bungalow on 9,000sq yards (??? not sure) of land and is the only Green and Green house in its original condition with all the furniture and carpets etc. There are other Green and Green houses in the area but either they are privately owned or have suffered over the years either from disrepair or desecration by unsympathetic owners. The fron doors have the most beautiful inlaid galss spread over three panelss of an oak tree. Unfortunaltely no pictures are allowed inside so our only pic are of the outside - and there the sun was so bright and the house is so dark that I'm afraid my photos were not too good. We had a private tour from one of the doc-ents (guides) and then Bobby Mappstone (the PR person for Gamble House) met us and talked to us for a couple of hours about the house/its history/ history of Green and Green/the organisation of the running of the house/friends/ traing the guides ect. We were there till about five o'clock so had a very thorough introduction to the house, its owners and history. Rob had a fabulous time and was so pleased with the visit.

Now this morning it is time for us to leave Pasadena and to travle to our next destination. I am off to meet Val - after 24 years - in San Francisco; Rob is travelling to La Fayette via Chicago and to his conference. We shall be out of touch with each other and perhaps with you for a little while so this may be the last message for a few days. Now do be sure to take care of each other and we shall talk soon. Love and hugs. Ann

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

A fest for the eyes

I can't believe it - I have just lost the blog I have spend the last hour creating!!!
Anyway - here goes again. We started yesterday by wanting to go to two close by museums, one on Asian art and the other Californian art - of course, both were closed Monday and Tuesday. Since Tuesday is to be Gamble House and we shall be gone on Wednesday we shall have to miss these. Pasadena is known as a town with good museums endowed by the rich folks who used to come here for the 'winter' from the east coast. Gamble house is a good example of a house woned by these people - Gammble as in Gamble and Proctor. Anyway, we also wanted to visit the Norton Simon museum which was said to have a good collection of European art. I was sceptical since the write up for the Huntington had said the same but (probably because they were renovating some of the buildings) only a portion of their holdings were on show. So for instance I had expected to see some Mary Cassat but thee was only one on show (how picky am I then!). However, I was entirely wrong!!! From the path that leads up to the entrance I should have known this was different! There were at least 6 life size Rodin sculptures! In the main forst room were the most important Impressionist painting - Van Gough, Pissario, Monet, Cezanne; there were Gauhgan, Sissley, Matise, Renoir, Lautrec, Manet, there were barbazon group examples and Nabis group, there were over 100 Degas sculptures, with the highlight being the 'little dancer', the sculpture that caused such a fuss when he first exhibited it that he never showed it again and kept it in his appartment till his death. It caused a fuss because he incorportated natural materials into the scuplture - a tutu, satin slippers, real hair, and a ribbon - but it was so lovely and i think I am so fortunate to have seen it. There was a good collection of Post Impressionists and somm fone Picasso's - espically the woman in blue - there was Klee, Klimt,Kandinsky, Degas Rivera. There was a fine collection of Dutch paintings including my favourite still life painter Rachel Reichs, Rubin and Rembrahnts - paintings and etchings; lots of 17th century French - but Watteau has never been my faviourite. There was a solid collection of Rennaisance paintings including Botecelli, and a most stunning Bellini. All inall a veritable feast for the eyes. We stayed there all day and at lunch in the gardens watched - what is the name of those insects which hover over plants, are quite large and look beautiful? I want to say hover fly or grasshopper but it is not either of those - anyway there were bright oprange and blues ones to keep us amused. In the garden there were more sculptures including Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth and others I was not familiar with. We saw an exhibition of Californian artiats who worked in translucent plastic in the 70's andan exibition of Asian/Indian art where there was some quite beautiful Rhajistan prints. We stayed there all day till the car came to collect us and I would recommend it to any one who is coming this way.

Today I am going off to do my homework - in the cool of the hotel - for Gamble House where we are going this afternnon. Rob meanwhile, is out - in the heat of the day, armed with sunscreen and water (it was 95 in the shade yesterday)- to walk around an area called Bungalow Heaven. This is an area which has the beast collection of Californian Bungalows in one area - Rob is a very happy bunny!!

Ok, my dears, all for now. I shall try to write tomorrow but we have to be on our way to the airport by 9am. Rob is off to Indiana via Chcago and I am off to my friend Val's in Newarf/San Francisco. Shall catch up soon, meanwhile lots of love and hugs.
Ann

Monday, August 28, 2006

85 degrees and rising

Hello my dears from sunny-hot California.
The hotel has this very good system that it will take you anywhere you want to go within a 3 mile radius of the hotel. So, after resisting the enormity of a leisurely US breakfst in favour of a more modest repast we set off for the Huntington. We did the galeries first and saw Gainsboroughs Blue Boy, May Cassatt Mother and Child as well as umpteen Reynolds, Raeburns and a whole collection of early to mid 20th century US art including a beautiful Hopper and some very impressive niave art. There was an exhibition of silver which was sort of Georgian and Victorian (if you are English!!!). They have a sort of Morris/Arts and Crafts display before you get to the Green and Green exhibition (the men who built Gamble house, which we go round tomorrow) and the docent is a guide at Gamble House so that was a very useful meeting and we learnt lots about Gamble House/Green and Green. Then it was on to the gardens - did I tell you that the previous day we had been sitting in a park and saw 4 woodpeckers? They were just beautiful - I had never seen them so close or clearly. Well today was even better because we saw our first hummingbird - so beautifuil and irridecent (?) but tiny and merges in so well with the surrounding foliage - my camera stood no chance! Anyway we saw the children's garden and the rose garden before going over to the Japanese garden which was just stunning. The Emperor of Japan opened it in 1994 and it has all the usual things you would expect - a stream, bridge, bonsai by the bunch, a house, a zen garden - oh and lots of carp. All of this was put together so harmoniously that it would have been easy to linger the whole day. However we went on to the lotus pond by way of the Australian garden and the sub-tro[pical (where the plants looked a lot like those in Devonport - ahhhh, homesick). It was, by this time, very hot - so I went shopping to cool down in the air-conditioning (can't keep a good shopper down), then it was back to the hotel before having a stroll to our Mexican meal and a browse in the most fabulous second-hand bookshop at 10pm (great hours they keep here).
Then of course jet lag struck and we were awake till 3.30 this morning!!!
OK my dears - we are off to play - I think 3 museums today!!!
Lots of love to all, and thanks for all the emails and text's.
Talk soon
Ann

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Mmmmm the sun

Hi everyone,
The flight was great, good food, lots of space, very comfortable - Frances you must try these new NZ air planes with the flat beds - a very civilised way to travel. But the smog as you fly into LA is like a dull orange band that you have to fly through before you can see land. It is immediately obvious that the air in Devonport is so much cleaner.

We explored Pasadena yesterday, and is a very substantial town which - 2 young men that we met told us - had been very run down until about the 70/80's when big businesses moved in as part of the LA overspill and now it looks a very prosperous town with beautiful shops set in open air - but curiously souless - shopping malls and an old town where lots of resturants offer all sorts of different foods for the tourist trade; there is also a 'municipal area' with the town hall, library and police station and these buildings are sort of reminicient of Napier with an arrt deco feel to them. It is clear that a lot of the town has art deco touches and some of these are old and original while some aer newer and echo the older buildings by linking through some design motifs, there are also - obviously - spanish influences.
Today - afert being up for 36 hours and asleep for 12 - we are off to the Huntington Museum and Gardens - which sound rather splendid and were set up by a well known local philanthropist. There is a holding of Mary Cassatt paintings I want to see and some architectural exhibits Rob is keen to look at and the I want to see the Japanses, zen and herb gardens before having tea in the rose garden. We may have time to walk round the area which has lots of arts and crafts houses, although we may leave that till the Gamble house day.
Anyway, I am off to see if I can sort out the blackberry for all you texters - wish me luck!!!
Will talk soon.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Going, going........

Hello from New Zealand Airway Koru Club. I have just seen an example of the seats/beds we will have on this flight - cool, or what. They come as pairs and the two make a kind of pod shape with them forming a wave in the centre that seperates one from the other. So one can sleep (or two) and the other can sit up, lie back; or we can sit across from each other, for instance to eat. Although we were told we had to be here at least 3 hours before take off Rob and I got through in about 10 mins and have been reading the papers and snacking. I'm just off for a glass wine - so enjoy your Saturday evening and think of us up there bvefore you drop off to sleep.
Bye for now & love
Ann

Monday, January 23, 2006

I love to go awandering

Sissy and Daisy will be left behind when we depart for our adventure on the 26th of August. We will be flying to LA - where we will not stay - drive to Pasadena to stay for a few days while we are taken round Gamble House and one of the other famous A&C Houses and generally explore the area. The Rob is off to Purdue University in Indiana while I fly to San Francisco to visit with my friend Val in Newark.
Rob and I will meet up in Boston where we will celebrate his 60th Birthday (can you believe we have made it so far!!!) before coming back to stay in a very nice boutique hotel in San Francisco for a few days before returning to Auckland on the 16th September.
I'll be posting between now and then and while we are away so do log in, read and even comment if you like. All for now - love & hugs, Ann

Ann's holiday blog 2005

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Going, Going, Not quite gone!

Hello all out there,
Fooled you!!!! Well, not really - fooled myself as well. I thought I would have no opportunity to do any more blog ect. However, here I am sitting in the Virgin Megastore in central London - which is a very scary place - it has headsets for music on each table in the cafe, table top electronic games, an internet cafe which is unstaffed (so you have to do it all yourself), a security guard, just to make sure you don't steal the equipment, its own radio station blaring all around. You know, you get to a certain point and you just know there are certain things that you will never be involved in? Well most of this store is that for me - and they did not have what I came in for!
So, how did I get here after my definative farewell? Well, I decided to check into Rowhill Grange till I left for the airport. It meant I could be just round the corner from Candice, it had a spa and the car had to be delivered to Dartford which is nearby - so it seemed sensible. Then it became clear that the funeral and the time leading up to it needed to be a family time. So that meant I had free time!!! Yippeee - so what to do?
Well, last night I had dinner with Ed & Jan, and took more pictures of the garden - the roses are just gorgeous now - I really want to go back next week to see what has come up next! Then this morning I got an early train to town and took the underground to Gower Street where I had reserved a book for Rob. I enjoyed my walk around and through Bloomsbury, visiting a lot of old haunts - UCL, the Psychology Department, the Medical Research Unit (which is no longer in Bedford Square). The day is warm and sunny and will get o 20c - lovely for walking and wandering.
I passed by some favourite shops - Habitat and Heals, but lost one of my favourite delis on Marshall Street - in fact I lost Marshall Street too! Next I am going to wander down to Westminster, via Soho, Picadilly, Trafalger Square, - with maybe a diversion to the National Gallery - The Mall, and then for lunch with Jan in the House of Commons. At three I am going to a matinee at the Criterion Theatre to see a play called 'the Countess' - Ruskin, his wife Effie and her affair with Millet - it got good reviews so I am looking forward to it. Back to the hotel in time for dinner then tomorrow I shall return the car, have a nice massage and facial before checking out at 5 and off to the airport - whew, I need to come home for a rest.
So this is definately the last time - OK? I promise (the hotel does not have internet access). Love to all, bye for now - Ann

Monday, June 06, 2005

End of trip - going home

Hello everyone and welcome to probably the last blog for the trip.
As you know by now, I am staying at Candices' and her mother has died. The funeral is on Thursday and her brothers arrive from the States, one tomorrow and one on Wednesday. As a family they, of course, all want to be together and so I shall be moving on for the last two days before I set of for NZ. It is unlikely that I shall have access to the blog or to emails before I go so I just wanted to say how lovely it has been to feel that you have all been with me on my trip, keeping me company, keeping me focussed and sending all your wonderful comments to me. I have logged in with anticipation each time and have always had a comment to greet me - so a big thank you for that.
Well, this has been an eventful trip with lots of highs and only some lows. I have no doubt, now that I am to leave that Hong Kong, England and Greece will have beautiful weather from now on for a long period of time - and if they don't then I can't be blamed!
So, bye for now my dears, lots of love and hugs, and will definately log on for the absolutely last time when I get to Devonport.
BYEEEEEEE, Ann

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Sad day

Today was the day of the party and you will know from reading my Comments that we organised for it yesterday and were having it today. Well we did, and it was good to see Candices friends that I have known for a long time and to catch up with them. We had the tables set up in the garden and everything looked lovely. Towards the end of the afternoon Candice got a call from her sister to say that her mother was deteriorating (Rose had been taken into hospital on Friday). Candice and Geoff decided to drive to Cornwall and left about 6 o'clock for the 5hour drive. However, at about 8 o'clock Rose died. Candice is very upset and is continuing onto Corwall to arrange for Rose's funeral, which will take place in Rainham in Essex on Tuesday.

In her late seventies I remember Rose as a feisty slim small woman who was lively, engaging and enquiring. She was computer literate and I remember having a long conversation with her about spreadsheets, accounting and databases only a couple of years ago. Rose had become progressively ill over the last few months and after a heart attack had moved to Corwall to be cared for by her daughter Lynn. Rose had remained a central and important part of Candice's life and she and Geoff would visit her in Corwall at least once a month. Candice and Geoff spend the last bank holiday there, driving to visit her in Cornwall after dropping me off at Gatwick for the Skopelos flight. It is a measure of how close Candice was to her mother that she knew immediately she had to go to Cornwall today. I am sure you will all join with me in saying how sorry we are for your loss Candice.

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Skopelos Pictures

Hi there, I've added some pictures from the Skopelos trip. You can click the title above or click on the Allens Group link on the right hand side, then Pictures, then Skopelos and it will take you to the pics. Remember, if you double click the picture it will enlarge it. Byeeee

Friday, June 03, 2005

London calling - again

Hi there all you bloggers,
Back in London now - flight went reasonably well - Skiathos airport, despite being extended, remodelled and restaffed, was just as chaotic, if not more, than I remember. However, because the palne was not full and there were lots of little children on it we did not have to refuel at Thesalonika so got into Gatwick 1 hour early. I did wonder, when my bags went through though, whether they might like to reconsider the refueling situation. I can't belive it - when I left Candices' last week my bag weighed 19kilos, when I got to the airport it had gained 2 kilos to be one over the limit and was given a big sticker which said HEAVY BAG. So, when I got to the airport today guess what - it had gained again and weighed in at 29.5kilos! I don't know, I think someone is filling my bags with bricks. Fortunately, the Skiathos staff never turn a hair at overweight baggage so it just went through - lucky me. Now can anyone tell me how to get 50 kilos through on a 30 kilo allowance for my return trip? A prize for the best suggestion.
Busy day tomorrow - I pick up my car and then shopping with Candice & Geoff for the lunch party they are holding for me on Sunday - we are going to a local Mediteranian deli to shop for it - lots of delicacies and yummy bits and pieces. So, I am off for a bath and an early night. Talk soon, Love to all - Ann

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Skopelos Island

If you click on the title it will take you to a web site about Skopelos. If you copy & paste the following link into your address bar you can see more about Skopelos. Skopelos Net is run by my friend Mimi and the Walks & Hikes page (from Off the Beaten Track) is Heather page for her walks (in fact you can see her in the third picture down).
http://www.skopelos.net/off-track/index.htm .
Do have a look and you can see the sorts of things I have been doing and seeing and tasting and felling for the last week!
After morning coffee with Heather & her dad at the Kalivi yesterday I went to Agnondas for a swim and a snorkel - lots of little fishes and very pretty round blue ones - but did not see any of Robs favourite swordfish. The water was initially chilly - but became warm and lovely when you were in properly. No one on the beach when I arrived and only 5 people when I left. Then, in lieu of lunch, I treated myself to a Karavia Special Ice-ccream - it had everything, lots of fresh fruit, lots of ice-cream, cream, fruit sauce, chocolate sticks, chocolate sauce - it should have come with a health warning!!!!
Met up with Heather for coffee after her English classes then off to Panormos with Mimi for dinner (salad and oven aubergines with feta - delicious) - home by 12.30 - they do keep late hours here.
Monastery and Internet and a lovely sunny day - until 10 minutes ago! I had intended to have lunch at Costas and a last swim before packing then dinner at Platanos, where one of the waiters that I have known for years had invited me for a drink (by the way Rob - Stravros, Costas and nearly everyone else sends their best wishes and says it is a shame you could not come this year - so I told them we will come next time we are over - is that OK with you?). It turns out he spent time in Christchurch about 8 years ago, so it was good to talk to him about NZ. He may be coming later this year on holiday, and we may see him then.
So, as of this moment I am not sure what the day holds - but I have a rain jacket so this rain won't stop me for long.
Won't be logging in tomorrow - early start - ferry at 7.15am and in London/Hextable by 7.30ish pm. So till next time - love & hopes for sun for you. Ann

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Yasso everyone

So, another day - what did I do yesterday? Well by the time I had finished breakfast (I cheated and had cake & hot chocolate), all my emails, blogs etc it was almost time to meet Heather & Pip. We had lunch in Molos - delicious mushrooms stuffed with cheese, aubergine stuffed with onion and oregano potatoes - yummm. After we had coffee (water for me) in Apostolisis' former cafe I had a siesta and then set off for Glisteri. I had been told it was warm enough to swim - but Glisteri is one the other side of the island and so the water was cooler so I decided not to swim. I love this beach because it is so quiet and peaceful, and you can usually hear the goat herds in the hills - hear their bells tinkling - but they were launching the boat which takes people from Skopelos town to Glisteri so it was a hubub of noise and activity yesterday - it was interesting though and I got some nice pictures. An evening of wandering up and down the hilly streets, over by the churches, up to the Castro, down to the cafes - more walnut cake, this time with ice cream. Yannis brought round some cherry preserve he had just made - it was still hot in the jar, so left that to cool.

This morning I was up at 6.30 and off to the monastery where I left some cherries for the priest and sat and contemplated the world in the most peaceful environment I know. From the seat at the monastery you can see the pine clad hills and the sea, see the fishing boats and ferries come & go and listen to the little birds - saw a finch and a harrier! Back to town for strawberry juice and fruit for breakfast before coming to the Internet cafe.

I am just off to buy some cakes (perhaps almond cakes stuffed with plums?) to take to Heathers Kalivi for morning coffee before I go for a swim at either Panormos or Agnondas - now Panarmos is lovely to swim at, very calm, but it has no fish so maybe I should go to Agnondas which will be a bit busier (about 5 people more) and do a bit of snorkelling. In any case I shall return to Panormos tonight with Mimi for dinner. On the other hand ..... well I am spoilt for choice, aren't I. Hope the weather is OK where you are. Talk soon, love to all, Ann

Monday, May 30, 2005

Culinary delights

So, what have I been eating, lets see, the obvious - olive, greek salad, tatziki, eggplant dip, but also cheese balls, stuffed tomatoes, oven potatoes, courgette balls - fritters really - and a delicious lentil dish given to me by Costas at whose taverna I ate yesterday. Oh, and the walnut cake, yoghurt & honey, local peaches, cherries, Skopelos cheese pie - where do I stop - and thats only the first three days! In the absence of fruit teas I have taken to drinking soda water which is very refreshing, and chilled lemon tea. The retsina is as good as always and I do believe their white wine is improving too.
Yesterday I 'found' - well I remembered my way to - Heathers Kalivi (house in the hills) and it was just lovely. When I saw it last I wondered why she had bought it - it looked so tumble down and derilcit. But she has good vision for now the kalivi looks wonderful. It is set in the hills up a good then less good dirt track surrounded by ancient olive trees, with a beautiful view of the sea. The work she has done in rebuilding, adding an up deck, rebuilding walls, terraces and windows with shutters means it has a beautiful location and fits in perfectly. I sat under her almond tree for a while and it was so peaceful, with only bird sound and the occasional bee exploring the wild flowers in her garden - including my favourite, wild chamomille. Very peaceful and a complete contrast to Skopelos town where the young men take it as a mark of honour to ride their motorbikes up and down the narrow streets making their engines roar as loudly as possible.
Skopelos is having a bit of an identity crisis at the moment with falling tourist numbers, increased building and no plans for appropriate development. There are lots of speculation as to why tourism is dropping, from explanations which focus on how the island is to the way tourism is developing worlwide. Unfortunately there is a strong element of conservatism amongst the generation who have most power on the island at the moment. The older generation - who grew up without tourism but with strong ties to the land are actually more ecollogically minded than their commercially oriented middle generation who seem to want a quick profit and dismiss notions of development appropriate to the island in favour of more building and shops and commercial activity. For example, Heather, our friend who offers hill walking on the island (apart from this year when she is incapacitated) which brings specific types of tourists to the island has to clear tracks by herself in the winter without any support from the island. Now this is a clear example of an activity which I would have thought should be supported as appropriate tourism for the island, but is dismissed as not important. So, last night there was a meeting - at 11.30, after business had finished for the day - to discuss what might be done to increase tourist numbers - I am interested to see what was discussed, if not decided.
Coming here for so many years one does become interested in the politics of the island - so sorry if this is not of interest to you!
Back to the sun, sea, sand. Actually there is very little sand on the island - Skiathos, a neighbouring island has sandy beaches - the beaches on Skopelos are stony and so you need jellies to negotiate the beaches here and to swim. So, I have unearthed mine and am about to set out to Glisteri before having lunch with Heather & Pip. Catch up soon, Love Ann

Kalemera from Skopelos

Yesterday - no late Sunday - I got my jeep so took a drive up the whole island yesterday, had lunch at Agnondas, under the huge mulberry tree they have there, then had a soda at Lutraki - the port of Glossa (Glossa is the town in the hill and Loutraki the port down below). The day was overcast so although everything looked lovely it was not the spectacular deep blues that is usual at this time of year on the island. However, today is sunny, warm and everything looks just beautiful - I must make sure to get lots of pictures today! The island smells of pine (the island is covered by olive and pine trees) and I am sure I caught a whiff of wild oregano too. The poppies, cornflowers, broom and alium are all out and look lovely.
I have just had an hours physiotherapy on my poorly foot - which is actually much better now - from a very handsome young Russian who speaks Greek and Russian but no English - and me with only English - so it was a bit unusual. I have never had such an unpleasant experience! At one point I was making so much noise he suddenly found some English and said 'do you want it to get better' - I am such a coward!!
I am off to Panarmos for luch and then meeting Caterina (our Greek tutor - who is German) this evening. Tomorrow I shall meet Heather (who has her foot in plaster after splitting her Achiles tendon) and her father for lunch and Mimi and I are going out for dinner in the eveing - so a busy couple of days ahead. In between I am sure I shall visit my favourite beach - Glisteri - and my favourite Monastery - Metamorphosis. I am busy sampling all my favourite dishes and so far the stuffed tomatoes and oven potatoes win out - they are delicious. Still, plenty of time for other winners to emerge!
Well, my dears, I am off to collect my swimming and snorkelling stuff, get into my little red jeep - I must try to remember to drive on the 'other' side of the road today - and set of for the sun. Talk soon - love to all, Ann

Friday, May 27, 2005

Oh the sea, the sun, the island!!!

Hi, this is the first post from Skopelos!!! So, where to start - well the flight was 1.5hours late in leaving so we arrived late too. The airport has enlarged a lot since my last trip but is still as chaotic, which worked fine for me since I knew where the taxis were and was able to nab the first one to get me to the port to catch the right ferry. So I did not have time to raom around Skiathos town, but that is no great loss since it caters to mass tourism and Yorkshire puddings! Then surprise surprise... Yannis and Caterina were on the Dolphin! I saw this man waving and looked behind me to see who he was trying to reach - but it was me!!! So I had company on my trip and caught up on all sorts of news which was lovely.
The day was sunny and warm - the first for a couple of wet weeks. Mimi was there to meet us and we all wandered up to the house where the ironing board and iron were produced as well as my bags which were in storage - so I got aquainted with my first aid kit, snorkelling gear, beach shoes, mouldy old beach towels (must go to the laundromat today), paints and language books as well as my CD player! Soon I was settled, ironing away, listening to James Taylor, getting sorted putting things away. Lovely. Then off to the supermarket for the Retsina, Oregano crisps and olives. I was to meet Mimi at 7 for coffe and then dinner. On our way to coffee we met Heather and her father, Peggy and her family, and whose husband and daughter produce the most lovely gold and silver jewllery and who have a harbour front shop. Mimi, of course stops every two steps to talk to someone so progress was slow but it gave me a good chance to look around. We went to a local restaurant Finnicas - which has changed owners and is so much better. Given that I had been awake since 1am I was surprisingly awake and eventually rolled into bed at 12 o'clock.
Oh, before I forget - I have met Daisy's relative - it is the double of Daisy before she came to us, but not in quite such disrepair and it is the most gorgeous chocolate brown. Think of Daisy with short hair and affectionate - I lost my heart immediately and started planning how to get her to NZ - I know, I know I was given strict instructions, but who could resist those eyes - so stop shouting - I can hear you form here!!!! Anyway as I was cuddling her - and probably being covered in fleas - I encountered her collar, so you can all breathe out now - she belongs to someone else. But I must try to find out who and see if I can find out more about Daisy.
It thunderstormed during the night - I really do think it is following me - but I am assured it will be fine by Monday - so I can have a lazy couple of days. Talk soon , Love & hugs and kisses, Ann - GROUP HUG?

lovely to see you

It was great to see you the other evening. Thank you for all the presents especially the parcel of Hong Kong goodies which arrived today. It's been so hot here today that we just haven't had the energy - plus I had to make an emrgency trip to the dentist this afternoon- to get packed up and leave for Scotland after work. Instead we're just chilling out in the garden with wine and the newspapers whilst Thomas is making something out of the spare pieces of wood and Rebecca is on Sims...Scotland tomorrow. We'll be in touch when we get back because we need to get sorted out about the beach house.

Lots of love and enjoy Greece....Maggie,Thomas, Rebecca and Steve...xxxx

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Why seek? Choose any love pi11 you want!

Anns Trip Pictures 2

Hello everyone,
I have posted some more pictures on the Allennz site. So if you click the link on this page on the right hand side called The Allens Group (or try the link above) and then Pictures and the Anns Trip 2 it will take you to them. If you click on a picture it will enlarge it. Unfortunately, the memory stick with the Yorkshire pictures would not load so we shall have to wait till I return home to try these again. However, I hope to be able to put some pictures of Skopelos up on my return. Hope you like these ones first though.
Lots of love
Ann

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

To vroom or not to vroom that is the question

Hello everyone. I am now safely back at Candice & Geoffs after my adventures in Outer England. I had a splendid time with Ed & Jan and saw some friends while I was there. I spent a very good afternoon and evening with Sue and Ian and we ate at the Stables in Danson park in Welling which was very pleasant. Unfortunately my car was in a bit of an altercation (no not cause of speeding - I know what you are thinking!) - scraped in a supermarket car park, but I don't know who did it - so that put a damper on today and I shall have to pay an exorbitant amount of excess for the damage despite being insured and not at fault! However, it did not stop me getting to the University at Medway to meet Chris & Suzanne for lunch. We went to a lovely little vllage called Upnor, which is very very old, has a castle, no cars - you have to park in a car park outside the village and then walk - fronts onto the river and is quite delightful. We ate in a pub there and then returned to the University for coffee. Then it was back up the A2 and here I am. The next couple of days will be quieter - lots of organising, washing and ironing again, in preparation for my trip to Skopelos on Friday - very early - I think I have to be up at 3.00am! I'm not sure I should go since the temperatures here will match those in Skopelos for the next few days - what do you think? Go/don't go? On reflection......I think I'll go! I'll try to put up some more pictures in the next couple of days. So, unless anything else happens I think the next blog will be from Skopelos! Talk then, bye for now.
Love & hugs
Ann

Monday, May 23, 2005

Mellow Yellow

Yes folks, the sunshine is back - Yippee!!!! I've been up since 5 and I've just been in the garden watching the blackbirds collect food for the young ones, the baby starlings miss the bird table and fall away and come back to try again; and the robin and blue tits foraging on what has fallen from the bird table - lovely, soothing and a good way to start the day. More plants flower in the garden each day and today a beautiful purple clematis opened and a heavenly smelling bourbon rose - delicious!
I have been to visit Joan, a neighbour who lived across the road from us, but have had no luck contacting Joyce or Eileen - perhaps I will try later. I am off to lunch with Lynn soon but was just logging in to say hello to everyone before I get going. Bye for now - love, Ann

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Rain, rain go away......

Do you think some people attract bad weather - you know, like some people are said to attrack bad luck? Well I think I may be one of them. Everywhere I go it rains, people are very nice about and say things like 'well we do need the rain, the ground is so hard' or'well we will just have to learn to swim'. I think they are trying to make me less guilty, but I also think they wish I would go away - fast!!! So, it rained in Hornsea, it rained down the A1, it did not rain the evening I stayed with Sarah - I think I fooled it by stopping off - but it had caught up by the time I rose the next morning. It bucketed down as I drove down the M11 to London - big spray, reduced visability, jack-knifing lorries, slow coaches, the lot. Then yesterday Ed & Jan wanted to take me to the Royal Hotricultural Gardens at Wisley - it rained, and it rained and it rained; it started raining as we drove there, it rained most of the time we were there, it rained all the way home - it only stopped when we arrived indoors -typical!

The gadrens were beautiful, and they are always developing new areas (this time they are buliding a new glasshouse) and have put in a new extension to their rockery. I think they must have one of the worlds best collections of Rhodedendrums and Azeleas; we walked through their wild forest area, their meadow area, saw their model gardens for different types of areas and contexts - small family-garden, city garden, Japanese garden, potted garden - we visited their existing glasshouses and saw lots of familiar NZ and sub tropicals as well as lots of desert plants, orchids and alpines. It is a wonderful place to visit - even if it is raining. Fortunately Ed & Jan had lent me a rainproof so although I dripped and was damp, on the whole I stayed dry. We shopped and visited the plant shop too. Ed & Jan bought some plants for their rockery and garden. Their garden is undoubtedly the very best domestic garden I have ever seen - I have taken pictures of it and will try to give you a flovour of it when I put the next set of pictures up. They are renewing their pond and today we went to buy the inner and to buy some stuff for their fish and then to Thompsons (our local garden crentre); we visited the donkeys, bought supplies and returned home, which was no mean feat because there was a farm show (we have a local city farm) next door to the garden centre so the parking and traffic was gridlock variety.

I have just been to visit Jackie and Rita - oh and, Elisabeth I did see Alex and Julia yesterday and delivered your envelope. Alex & Julia are living in a very bare house now that their belongings have been packed up and sent off to New Zealand - they will be reunitied with them on July 4th'ish just after they finnaly arrive in NZ. They seem relieved to have that part of their leaving behind them and are focussing on the next 6 weeks, lots of sociability, organising and final stuff - it should be a breeze! Tonight we are off to a local Thai restaurant, then tomorrow I have lunch with a work colleague Lynn and then off to Sue and Ian to stay for the night. Will probably log back in agin on Tuesday sometime. Hope you are all hale & happy. Take care & will get back to you soon. Love & hugs Ann

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Pony's in Alconbury

This was the first time I had visited Sarah in her house in Alconbury - even though I used to pass it every time I went up to and back from Yorkshire. Sarah & I go back almost 20years to when we both worked for the Open University tutoring D102 - Introduction to the Social Sciences and running study skills workshops for the southern region on Saturday mornings. Alconbury is a picturesque and sleepy, and now commuter, village off of the A1/A14 and Sarah has a house in a quiet cul de sac which has a lovely developing garden with a huge tree. It was so lovely to see her and her daughter Charley - who is 15 now and very grown up - and is a very accomplished horsewoman. Horses are Sarahs escape from her day job and I think she has 5 now. We went to feed and see them. I was introduced to some of her horses and to others who are stabled where Sarah keeps hers. They were all very beautiful - and I saw 3 foals. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me - I know, you have told me already - I shall have to chain it to me. Sarah, of course, is very comfortable around horses (she used to compete when she was young too) but I - as a city person - was less comfortable. However, I did pat & stroke and was nuzzled and they were quite splendid. Sarah cats kept us company - I counted 3 but I suspect there are more. We chatted and ate all evening and I slept like a log from 12 till 5.30, then it was up and getting ready for today and the run to London - but not before more chat with a very civilised breakfast. So, a very good visit and thank you Sarah it was lovely to spend time with you and Charlotte and to catch up on all the news. I will be sure to stop next time I am going your way - promise! OK loves, all for now, I am off to see Ed & Jan and their 3 cats and will be there for the next 3 days. I will try to get down to this IC at some point in the weekend but if I don't have a good weekend everyone, lots of hugs, Ann

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Mini Blog

Just a quickie before I depart Hornsea. I am off to Beverley to visit the cathedral before I scoot down to Alconbury. I don't think Sarah - or indeed Ed & Jan have computers, so don't know when I will get back on. But will post ASAP.
I wanted to apologise for the 'cows' postcard - Rob tells me I typed green letters on a green background so the writing was indecipherable!! The green is getting to me is all I can say. Stay well & take care of each other. Talk soon-ish. Love Ann

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Gardens of delight

Hi everyone,
So, yesterday - well after leaving here I wandered all my faviourite back roads taking in farmland and coastal areas. Ulrome - where Rob and I used to walk Daisy - looked very wild and wonderful with an East wind coming in off the sea and the sea looking choppy and rough; around Alborough where the coast is still being eroded at a vast rate of noughts; Mappleton - there is a church I like there and finally back to the hotel for what turned out to be a superb meal that would have been good anywhere in the world.
That was in contrast to the 'lunch' I had today! But first, I had gone to Burton Agnes - via the back roads - to look at the garden. I arrived at 10.00, however it did not open till 11.00am - but they let me wander round and pay later. The walled garden is a splendid place with a smell garden for the blind, espalliered fruit trees, a beautifully kept vegetable garden, herb garden, little enclosed gardens which take different clours - so there was a white garden, a red one, a purple one. In each of these gardens there is a floor game - noughts and crosses, draughts, snakes and ladders set out on the paving stones and in the centre is a rose arbour on four sides of a sunken chess board with people sized pieces (well if the people were 5 years old that is); and of course, lots of herbacious borders stuffed with every kind of English cottage garden plant you could ask for. I love this garden so much, I have tried in the past to come at every season so that I can see the full range. They even have a 'jungle garden' and I recognise some of the plants that we have in Devonport.
Later I thought I'd re-visit Thornwick Bay to do some bird watching and maybe see some puffins - I erroneously though they might be there at this time of year. No such luck. But thought I would have lunch - big mistake! The menu was carbohydrate and fat hell - fried this and that, sandwiches, chips, fat, stodge and more fat. Not a vitamin to be seen. I spied soup - Yippee - it was even tomato soup, my faviourite; can't do much to spoil that can they? Well for a start it came from a packet, and worse, it had some undentifiable lumps floating in it. I was trying to recollect if I had offended anyone before I actually put any in my mouth. No, (sight of relief) they were just unreconstituted lumps of soup, Ugh! The, brown - an unusually healthy offering - roll had been badly microwaved to make it warm and so it was warm, but also hard! Now I have always been aware that food and Yorkshire and health should not be mentioned in the same breath but this was stunningly bad even by their standards. All I can say is that I am looking forward to dinner tonight!
Tomorrow I am off to Sarahs in Cambridgeshire where I am sure of a warm welcome, good conversation, a glass of wine and good food.
Talk soon. Hugs to all. Ann

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!

Hello peeps,
Well the drive from London to Yorkshire went well. I went through the Dartford Tunnel where there was a 6 mile tailback, but after that it was fine and I was able to put this car through its paces. I left at 7.30 and got here at 11.00am, so I made reasonable time and was able to keep a steady 80-105 miles per hour on the A1 and just a bit more on the Yorkshire motorways. As Rob will tell you, this did not beat my record but it was close.
Weather was fine on the way up then cloudy as soon as we reached Yorkshire - surprise, surprise - but it is sunning now. East Yorkshire countryside does not have the exuberance of Kent and is flatter but is just as lovely as I remember it. All the plants are about 2weeks behind London/Kent up here, so the wisteria on our house is not out yet, but the clematis is gorgeous. It is a pink Montana Rubens and the whole back fence between the house and the school is covered in it. My hotel is set in lovely grounds with rose gardens and looks onto farm lands and since the land is flat I can see for miles. The hotel, unfortunately, does not have internet access (unless you have your own computer) but Hornsea now boasts its own Internet Cafe and so I am posting you from there. OK, I am off to do more exploring and will post again soon. Love & hugs to all. Ann

Monday, May 16, 2005

Photos!!!

I have added photos to the Allennz site for you to see. There is a link on this site - look to the right hand side and you will see a like called 'The Allens Group', if you click on this and then go to pictures you will see an album called Anns Trip, where I have added some of the photos I have taken so far - do have a look.
Big hugs
Ann

Wash day blues

Hello my friends,
The day started beautifully at 6.30 with a few minutes outside appreciating the clear skies, bird song, smells of honeysuckle and golden fields - of rape seed! Forest was to get to school by 9, but those of you who know Lucy will know that that was never going to happen. It seems that Lucy (and increasingly Forest) is keeping up her tradition of not quite being on time and is known by the other mothers in the area for driving the 'wrong' way - that is driving towards school when they are driving away from it! However, as far as I could see it made no difference to Forest's school day because when we finally arrived at 9.15, having taken a detour to pick up a school chum in a neighbouring village the children were still in the playground, or in their class gardens tending their plants, flowers flowers and vegetables. The school whistle - weilded by the headmasters wife - did not go till 9.30 when all the children sat on the ground in ther classe groups, were very quite, were supervised by children from older classes and then trouped into the school in descending order (so the youngest went last) to school assembly - all very disciplined and sweet. After that it was off to the cottage which sold freshly cut asparagus - yum! I bought 3 bunches of varying grades - because I knew it was Candice's favourite - so guess what we are having for dinner. The cottage was thatched, with wisteria growing over the front and beautiful views of the fields and countryside. As usual Lucy was known by name so it did not matter that we had no money on us - they cut and prepared the asparagus then put it past for us for later. Then it was on to feed the pigs which I did by myself today since Lucy was deep in conversation with a woman who tethers her horses on the same farm as Lucy keeps her pigs, and who had attended a motivational weekend with 10,000 other people where the first task they had was to walk a 15ft length of buring coals - after that they could do anything!!! All packed, it was back to the cottage to pick up the asparagus and I took off for London while Lucy walked back through the fields to her cottage.
Back in Candice & Geoffs house I am writing this blog and delaying getting down to washing and ironing in preparation for setting off for Yorkshire tomorrow. Ho hum, well I guess I should get on with it. Don't know if I'll be able to post where I am staying in Yorkshire - but will find a way. Love to all of you. Talk soon, Ann

Sunday, May 15, 2005

English Idyl - or the joys of the English Coutryside.

Hello everyone and welcome to all the new readers and commenters - it is very gratifying to know you are all out there. So, what can I say. I have been at Lucy's for the best part of a couple of days now and have fallen in love again with the English courtyside. It is so beautiful - coming into summer and the trees are mid way through budding and leaving so it is all very fresh and green and lush. I have seen robins and finches and great tits and blue tits and an owl and pheasants and most surprising a peacock! I have walked in a bluebell covered wood and am staying in a cottage in the heart of the countryside where the hedges grow so close there is only room for one car on the narrow and winding roads. We are surrounded by fields, the cottage is covered in clematis and honeysuckle, there are bumble bees and hares, moles and skylarks. It is just past lambing season so the lambs look sturdy and cute, there are horses in the fields, the hops are being strung, the fruit trees are developing, the fields are full of growing crops and I think Kent looks at its best just now. I have seen soo many rabbits and last night on the way back from dropping off the baby sitter (at 1am) we startled a baby fox, which was so small and startled; its fur was pale cream and had not developed its colour and it was scampering along the road. We turned off our headlights so that it could escape from its starle and it hurried away into the undergrowth. Geoffrey has been trying to persude me that hunting is not about killing animals so much as upholding centuries old tradition - but I'm not too sure about that. He is off parading beagles today at the Windsor Show in London today. I have been to feed Lucys pigs twice and will go again shortly. We have been out for lunch to Easley Manor a beautiful manor set in rolling creen countryside and I ve seen the Crown of Kent - a chalk crown set on a hillside, from the Manor. We had lunch outside in the sunn, a 4 piece jazz band played. We visited the butchers this moring - a farm butcher, where the meat is produced on and by the farm; we ate locally produced asparagus last night. We have walked each day in different woods and today we walked in a wood where there were sculptures incorporated into the wood - sort of appropriate ones for the setting - a bird table which was a table carved in the shape of a bird; a tree basket, where a set of deeply polarded trees were surrounded by a 'basket' woven of other polarded & cut trees, most ingenious and interesting. I have to go now - but may add to this later - if not will sign in again tomorrow. Love to all - Ann

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Hello from downunder....

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Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.11.8 - Release Date: 10/05/05

Dear Ann,

First of all, thank you very much for the Blue Mountain mother's day card; that was quite a surprise! We enjoyed having Rob and Daisy here this afternoon and he told us about the talking card he received with you and Forest on it today[?] So, what with your blogsite and Rob's account of your doings, [talking with you per computer...] we don't feel you are very far away at all and it's nice to be able to share parts of your journey.

Daisy made straight for her water 'bowl', when she arrived, had a little 'explore' in the garden and then settled down on the rug, until she remembered she hadn't had her after dinner scratch, so she got up again and reminded Rob, who, of course, was only too happy to oblige. Both she and Rob seem fine but I'm sure they're counting the days.......

The trees and plants in the garden and house have had a treat: your worm liquid, which is now almost all used up. I shall return your bucket next time I'm passing your house. Thanks again, Ann.

Ken's just come in, so I 'll get the dinner on:the Greek potato, tomato and olive dish. I've got some lovely Desiree potatoes from the Framework Trust garden which lend themselves very well to this.

Looking forward to more of your news.

Love from us both.

Elisabeth.

Friday, May 13, 2005

Swimming in Tea

Today I intended just to collect the car & then what? I wasn't sure. So, I decided to visit those people who were not on the schedule. So, the rest of this will mean little to most of you cause it is about people you don't know. Sorry! The day started well when I went to collect my car and discovered that the manager of the Avis Centre was a young man - and his wife - who we had known for years when we lived in Burrage Road (Peter and Carol - Peter used to work ate Roys Garden shop - remember Rob). It was so surprising to see them. I visited Shrewsbury Park - one of Daisy old haunts., and it looked lovely and green and spring like. I went and poped into see my friend Ed and to see the garden in its spring colours. I love his garden and could spend hours there. But I was disciplined and spent only 1 hour. Mickey and the Beast were there but I missed Lou Lou (all cats). While there I bumped into Kath Griffiths who brought me up to date on her and Eric. Then onto Joyce, not home; and Rita, not home, so visited with Julia Cowdell, whose movers come next Tuesday and Wednesday and who was pleased to see someone who had been through the same process (Julia and Alex are returning to New Zealand after an abscence of 25 yrs). Was brought up to date on the Plumstead Environmental Group and the hand over from Julia to her successor. There was a beautiful fox in the garden and I was sorry not to have brought my camera. Back to Joyce's - still not home; then to Ritas, and before I oculd go in I met Jaqui and Dionne from the University. Apparently Dave Mutti now has Andrews job, has got married and is now a father. Given that we have known him since he started working it made me realise he is all grown up now. Rita was home so we had a good visit and I will return to see her and Jackie next week when I visit Ed & Jan. Then I visited my friend Maureen who was so shocked to see me and so happy! She phoned for her grandaughter Esme to come to visit - the last time I saw her she was just a baby and now she is a delightful very talkative nearly three year old. Maureen is studying for a postgrad masters in immigration law and is in the thick of exams; her son has emigrated to Turkey on marrying a Turkish Kurd and all are going to visit them over the summer. I really want to make time to see her - but when. Then back to Hextable, missing the exit on the A2 and nearly getting to Gravesend before I turned round - but eventually I found my way here. Going out for dinner - Thai - tonight and then to Ludenham and Lucy & Forest tomorrow. Probably won't sign in agin till Monday cause may not have access to a computer over the weekend. Hope all is well with you. Take care of each other. Lots of love, Ann

Thursday, May 12, 2005

My feet are killing me!

Just got back from a day in town and my feet are weary, sore and hot. So, it must mean I had a good day! The day started at 3am for me - but I did sleep well when I slept. The day properly started at 6.30 when I left with Geoff to go to Woolwich where I was to catch a train to town. We parked the car and as we walked away the very first person I saw was Tom our favourite taxi driver - he was so surprised to see me. He has new teeth and looks quite different and has become a double great-grandfather since I last saw him. The Salad Bowl (where we used to have breakfast) staff - June, Margaret and Maureen were so welcoming and excited I was quite touched! Junes dog, Jack, has just died, Margarets mother is very ill and in hospital, Jerry has left his wife and moved in with his new woman, David and Alison were there and Alison was as pessimistic as ever and kept saying 'but it is such a horrible and long trip' while David wanted to know all about Daisy and Sissy. It was lovely to see them all again and looking just the same! It was too early to go to town so I took a walk through Woolwich and met Simon and his brother Chris - so all in all it was a good thing to get up early! Woolwich looked dreary apart from the square which looked tended and green. I understand that houses prices are booming because of the DLR; a new supermarket (Tescos) is to be built where peggy Middleton House is; Churchill House looks very swish and not at all like the run down tower block that it was when I (and Rob) used to work in it. The old Co-op complex is making way for a pedestrianised shopping centre.
On the train to town I was pleased to note that I had lost none of my skills for getting the last seat on the train. Town was just waking up when I got there and I walked through Covent Garden and Neal Srteet, taking in Carlucios - where I just had to buy something, now didn't I. In Neal Street the particular shop I wanted - had gone! For the next hour, between me, the cafe owner and Lucy (via mobile and the web) we tried to hunt down this shop but all we came up with was an address on the Kings Road which had a no operating telephone number. So I decided to go to the V&A - guess what you are getting Rob - and I bought some nice, light - bits and peices there. On the way back to Charring Cross, where I was going to leave my now heavy bag in left luggage (do you know how much this catalogue weights Rob - Cathay Pacific are not going to be pleased with you at all), I decided to go via Kings Road, where I leared that the person I was looking fors shop had just closed - so a complete end of that trail. I don't think I would really like to be a private invesigator, much to much work. However what I did see en route was the trouping of the colours with a set - maybe 40 - mounted riders, playing some marching tune - they were very impressive. I think you have to be a tourist to see this cause although I lived there 20 years this was the first time I had ever see it. Back at Charring Cross I decided it was time for lunch but where - Cranks had closed and although a very good shop had opened in its place it was too noisy (you would have agreed with me Sue) so I went over the road to the Piano & Pithcher and had lunch. After that I set off.
Rob will appreciate the next bit and know what I mean, but I apologise in advance if this just sounds like a lis of streets. I set off up St Martins Lane, past the ENO - I did check to see if there were any operas you would like in July Rob but no luck - through Leister square and into Lisle Street (China Town) before going through the Berwick Street Market where I visited the Fair Trade shop, along Lexington street to the Ceramic Centre - where I resisted buying. The Cranks next door has also closed and in its place is a lovely Indian Restaurat, where I did not eat but they did give me one of their menus to take with me. Back along Brewer Street - I visited one of my favourite Italian Delis - where I did not resist buying something (actually 1/2 kilo of chevril and rocket tortelloni, some home made pesto, and a bunch of sage) then on to Old Compton Street to visit another deli to buy fresh parmesan. I then hit Charring Cross Road only to discover that Murder One - my favourite bookshop - had moved, but only across the road. Then it was down to the National Gallery to look at the Crivellis - of which they have a whole room now, delicous! Now it was time to collect my left luggage, buy a ticket to Datford, phone Geoff who came and collected me, and home.
I found it was wonderful to be in London again, I felt a sense of well being wandering around some of my favourite places and noticing what has remained and what has changed - the West End theates seem to be doing retrospective, replays or musicals - although David Schwimmer (from Friends) is opening in a new/old play, Les Mis has moved theatres and the Vagina Monologues is being done by an actress I like! There seem to be even more eating places than ever and old favourites are complaining of too high rents. Plus ca change. So, that was my day my dears. Geoff and I are having an Indian take away for dinner tonight and I think then an early night for me as my body clock has not quite adjusted. Talk again soon, take care for yourselves. Love Ann

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

London calling!

Hello my dears. Well I am in London now - having got through with all that weight with no problem. And guess what I forgot to put in my main bags? Yes, you guessed correctly - the knives. Big hulabaloo - but, again, they let me through with them - thank goodness!!! The flight was delayed by an hour and my foot was playing up so the very considerate women in the Business Lounge got me a wheelchair - plus attendant - and we swept gaily through all the waiting crowds to get on the plane first, in comfort! I had bought myself a walking stick - not just because my foot was bad, but because I thought the sympathy vote might work for the weight of the bags!! I know - quite unscrupulous of me - but, heh, thats me, my friends!!
The flight was humdrum, the food was OK and vegetarian, the seats fine for sleeping - I got 3 hours - and relaxing, but, peculiarly they gave us plastic knives & forks when the Auckland trip had been metal ones. The attendants said the London flight was the only on where they used plastic - now what does this say about flights to London?
Candice & Geoff met me and Candice has now gone to Blackpool, Geoff to do something with is car and I have tidyed away all my stuff, spoken to Rob, and am about to start contacting people - so all in all a very successful transition.
Talk to you all son. Love to all. Ann

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Half the normal rainfall for all of May in the last two days

Does this console me - no, because every time I set foot outside of the hotel it bucketed!!! I got quite superstitious about it eventually and came back from the last soaking (one pair of shoes to go) and declared to everyone who would listen that I was not setting foot outside till I had to catch my plane. Being the adaptable person I am I decided that if it was wet I would not do the markets thing and instead visit the new Heritage Museum. It was wet. My Guide book extolled its virtues and since it was out near the New Territories I thought this would be a good way to also see a bit of Kowloon. I went by taxi - raining again - saw lots of scruffy skyscrappers, arrived to find it did not open on Tuesdays, a fact my Guide Book failed to mention. Fortunately a couple who were having the same experience as me lent me their mobile phone and I recalled the taxi driver. I then decided to go to the History Museum - again recommended by that Guide Book. Well you know whats comimg next - it does not open on Tuesday either. The Science Museum does - but no, I thought not. By this time it was raining quite hard but since I was somewhere near the hotel (about 2 miles away actually) I decided to walk - big mistake in terms of dry footwear and clothes. However I saw some very interesting back streets and only wished I had more time - and clement weather - to enjoy the expeience. Got back to the hotel and decided to pamper myself so had an aromatherapy massage and a facial - not as expensive as some I have had - but considerably more than Kathryns - and the massage was not nearly as good!
So, all in all I don't feel I have done HK justice - but I would certainly return and have a good mooch around some other time - but only if I could stay at the Sheraton.
Hope all is well with everyone and you are all behaving as I would see fit - take good care of each other. Love & hugs,
A..

Monday, May 09, 2005

What didn't I pack?

Ok, no prizes for the answer but it definately would not have coped with a monsoon! I got to see the Po Lin Monastery - well the inside, not the outside - we were engulfed by cloud and then by rain (monsoon quality) with thunder, lightning, the works. Rastas (Sues dog) would definately not have been amused! I saw old monks in grey & young monks in mustart, I saw nuns with shaved heads and a monk with a mobile phone. I smelled tons of insence and ate tasty vegetarian food at one of the 3 vegetarian restaurants attached to the monastery. I saw a rickshaw for sale - and did not buy it - I didn't think customs would let me take the weight.
So, I did not get to Cheung Chou Island - but I did get an Octopus card which means I can use any public transport till I reach the limit of the card. I've taken 2 busses, 4 ferries today and tomorrow will try the underground (it does not rain there!). I visited Harbour Plazza which is a temple to overcomsumption and the Temple Street Market as well as the Golden Mile - which is where the heavens opened big time for the second time today - just as well I brought lots of clothes. So, a busy, if wet day - lets hope it dries for tomorrow. I want to visit the Flower market, the Bird Market, perhaps the Jade Market and the Tin Hau Temple - but if it rains then I have the Hong Kong museum of art just across the way so that sounds good too. Thank you for all of your messages - its good to hear from everyone. I'm off tomorrow night so may not log in till Wednesday. Talk soon anyway. Love to all.

NZ Calling.

Good evening Ann,

thank you so much for another lovely card, beautiful bluebells, which you shall no doubt be seeing in real life pretty soon, lucky you.

We are all missing you already too, as you can imagine our walks are not the quite the same without 'Ann and the treat bag' say's Lucy. However we all did well today, especially Daisy on her first full day without you. She was quite happy here with us and came on two walks up the road and when Rob arrived home from work she was positively gleeful.

VERY pleased to see him.

We all went with her to the vet, nothing like a bit of moral support, and Neil wasn't too concerned, in fact the redness was a lot less obvious today. He seemed to think she may have lain on some plant that gave her the itchys, but it didn't seem to be bothering her today, so all is well with Daisy.

Hope you had a great day taking in all the wonderous sights of H.K. and enjoyed yourself at the markets.

Sounds like the view from your room at the hotel is pretty spectacular too, something to rival the one from Rob's office at AUT is it!!!

Will check-in tomorrow for news of todays highlights.

Lots of love and hugs,

Sue. xxx

Labels: My Blog

Sunday, May 08, 2005

good trip Ann

My sweet Annlt;I see 2 of my messages came back so must remember to change the address as we had put in daisy@blogspot instead of blogger Never This morning I found your card for Mothers Day and I cried it was so lovelyWe missed you this morning but will do different walks in the morning after the beachI imagine at the moment you are still asleep but I bet by 6am you are up biting at the bit rearing to go and explore Hong Kong. Kept thinking of you all yesterday hoping you were enjoying the trip.&I am meeting Diane for lunch today as Bruce has left her and she is very upset, thinks nobody wants her but as we both know, Bruce isnt the one for herHope yougot through customs in Hong Kong with no hang-upsLove and Hugs from your special xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

DAISY

Good morning Ann,

I hear you arrived safe and sound in Hong Kong and the hotel is very flash. Good for you.

Daisy arrived round this morning bright and early. Rob had taken her up round the corner from your house and over the bridge down by the navy barracks, then across the park and up to High Street. She came into the house very eagerly, despite Lucy making a racket that would wake the dead, and they all had a treat (dental bar) which was devoured greedily by all. She seems to be 'almost' her bright, cheery self and Rob was very pleased she was keen to go out with him. He shot off down to the ferry and by now will be heading across the harbour to work. He plans to be back early afternoon and will take Daisy to the vet to check out her itchy spots. So you can rest assured all is well with your precious wee lady.

Now I guess it's time for you to hit the shops of Hong Kong, what a treat!!!

Have a great day

Heaps of love,

Sue.

©

Hong Kong

Well, my dears, I've arrived - with knives! I think they were impressed by how blunt they were and allowed them to stay with me. It is now 11pm ish and I have just arrived at the Searaton - a beautiful room with a stunning view of the harbour. I've no doubt it will be different, and I'm told, even more spectacular by day - I'll let you know. Rob threatened to run a competition to guess by how much my luggage was overweight. I see he has not done that, so I will get in first - 14kilos over the 30kilo allowance - yes really!!! Still, with some rearrangement, they let it all go through - lets see if every other check in is so generous! You'd never guess how tired you can get travelling business class for 12 hrs, so I am off to bed now so that I can get up bright and early in the morning for the next stage of my adventure. Talk soon, love & hugs. Ann

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Thursday, April 28, 2005

Starting off

Hi Everyone,
I am going to use this site to post information, pictures and messages while I am away on my great adventure. I leave on May 8th and return on June 11th and in between I shall be catching up with lots of friends, visiting London, various parts of Kent, Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and most importantly Skopelos!!!! Yeah!!!!.
So, do log in and have a look if you want to be kept up to date with the progress/goings on of AA.
Lots of love & hugs
Ann

This is the last picture I had taken in England when I was there last!

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